“Football is within the fabric of the university. You’re much more than a football coach.” – Brian Kelly

Notre Dame Football on NBC On Pace for Most-Watched Season in Six Years, Up 34% vs. 2017

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 14, 2018 – NBC Sports presents the biggest game of the college football slate this week, as the undefeated No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0) face the No. 12 Syracuse Orange (8-2) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC in the 2018 Shamrock Series.

If Notre Dame wins its final two games of the regular season against Syracuse and USC, all signs point to a berth in the College Football Playoff. Wins by Syracuse vs. Notre Dame and No. 20 Boston College would bolster the caliber of the Orange’s first bowl appearance since 2013.

The Fighting Irish enter Saturday’s matchup with Syracuse following a 42-13 win in South Bend against Florida State to remain undefeated in 2018. Brandon Wimbush started at quarterback in place of injured quarterback Ian Book, who missed the game with a rib injury. Wimbush threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to TE Alize Mack, while RB Dexter Williams rushed for 202 yards and two scores on 20 carries. Book is likely to start on Saturday vs. Syracuse.

The Orange are off to their best start since 2001, led by senior QB Eric Dungey. Following a 27-23 loss to then-No. 3 Clemson and a 44-37 overtime loss to Pittsburgh, Syracuse has rattled off four straight wins and scored at least 40 points in all four of those contests, including a 54-23 win against Louisville last week. Dungey rushed for two scores and passed for another, while RB Moe Neal rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Saturday’s Shamrock Series clash at Yankee Stadium is the third offsite clash between the Orange and the Irish in the last five seasons. Notre Dame defeated Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in 2014 and 2016, including a 50-33 Notre Dame victory in the 2016 encounter.

This marks the 27th time the Irish have played at Yankee Stadium, dating back to 1925, a loss to Army at the old Yankee Stadium. More recently, Notre Dame beat Army in the first football game played at the new Yankee Stadium in 2010. Syracuse has played eight times at Yankee Stadium and has gone 7-1 in those games, including a 14-7 win over Notre Dame in 1963.

Mike Tirico interviews Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly ahead of this weekend’s Notre Dame-Syracuse clash on the latest episode of The Mike Tirico Podcast. Kelly discusses how his work in politics prepared him to be a college football coach, why the head coach position at Notre Dame is different from any other, and looks ahead to this weekend’s game against Syracuse.

The Mike TiricoPodcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps. Following are excerpts from the interview.

Kelly on how working in politics prepared him for coaching: “I was in grassroots organizational work, working with many different interest groups, getting young people to vote, working with them on a daily basis…I got the detailed work that you need, in terms of planning and practice work and things of that nature, and then I got the hands-on organizational work that you need with your players and team.”

Kelly on the importance and unique responsibilities of a Notre Dame head coach: “I had 19 years as a head coach when I took the job, and I don’t think I was adequately prepared for it (laughs)… it’s more than just football. It’s an ambassador for the university. Football is within the fabric of the university, so you’re much more than a football coach. You’re representing the university in so many different ways.”

Kelly on this weekend’s game vs. Syracuse: “This is a great job by (head coach) Dino Babers…he’s stuck with his system, his players, and now these young men are veterans along the offensive line, he’s gone out and brought some veteran players on the defensive line, and he can do things at the line of scrimmage that he couldn’t do before. They present a challenge because they can run the football, can throw it, they’re balanced on offense, they’re not just a finesse spread offense – and they can get after the quarterback.”

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBC ON PACE FOR MOST-WATCHED SEASON IN SIX YEARS, UP 34% VS. 2017

Heading into the final game of the 2018 campaign, Notre Dame Football on NBC is on pace for its most-watched season in six years. Through six games, Notre Dame Football on NBC has averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 3.588 million viewers, up 34% vs. the 2017 season to date (2.685 million viewers).

Despite a 42-13 final score and 32-6 halftime score, Notre Dame’s blowout win vs. Florida State last Saturday night on NBC (7:30-11 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 3.196 million viewers, up 6% vs. last year’s USC-Notre Dame primetime game (3.012 million). TV-only viewership was also up 23% from the last time Notre Dame hosted Florida State on NBC in 2003 (11/1/03, 2:30 p.m. ET; 2.579 million).

NBC SPORTS GOLD TO OFFER DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER LIVE STREAMING PRODUCT FOR INTERNATIONAL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL FANS

NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product – is relaunching its international “Notre Dame Football Season Pass,” giving fans in 13 international countries access to every Fighting Irish home game during the 2018 season. Powered by NBC Sports’ Playmaker Media, the direct-to-consumer pass will offer fans abroad comprehensive coverage of seven Notre Dame football home games live and on-demand, available online, as well as on mobile devices and tablets.

NBC Sports Gold’s “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is available for purchase now for $49.99, and features all seven home games in the 2018 season. The pass is available in 13 countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. USD or local currency pricing is available. “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is not available to customers in the U.S. Click here for more information.

INSIDE THE IRISH ON NBCSPORTS.COM

NBCSports.com will continue its Notre Dame Football coverage through its popular Inside The Irish blog, as Notre Dame Football insider Douglas Farmer covers the Irish from all angles throughout the 2018 season.

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide extensive live streaming coverage of the 2018 Notre Dame Football on NBC season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.